“America’s Top Model

Brittany Markert, the math whiz from Livermore, continues to impress on “America’s Next Top Model.” Last night, she advanced to the final 8 as Ashley Howard was eliminated.

Early in the episode, the model wannabes were divided into teams of 3 for a dance competition in which they were forced to wear masks and ordered to “express yourself through your bodies.” At stake: $17,000 in jewelry.

Brittany was teamed with Laura and Sundai, but the trio failed to impress judges Benny Ninja and Lil Mama. The winners: Jennifer, Rae and Kara.

Then it was off to Las Vegas, where Brittany had had better luck. This time the challenge was a Cirque du Soleil inspired themed photo shoot. Again, the models were broken into trios, latered in makeup and given freakish, Bride of Frankenstein-like hair.

Brittany was teamed with Jennifer and Rae and they wound up producing what Nigel called a “fantastic photo” despite a lackluster effort from Jennifer.

That kept them safe for the night as Ashley and Kara Vincent made up the Bottom 2.

Markert, 21, has been labled by Tyra Banks as the “scholastic girl” of the bunch. She was valedictorian of her senior class at Granada High School and posted a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT. She’s now a senior at Santa Clara University, where she has served as social chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science Society.